pup wrote:Does Lane's death really have a different impact than Betty's would? I don't think so.

Either go big, or go home...right?

Maybe. But who is truly "big"? Don? Peggy? Sally? You know they're not gonna kill them off.

Mad Men could lose Pete without blinking. Same for Roger. Same for Lane. Betty and her husband wouldn't even register. Even Megan is not a huge deal, since we're all expecting her to depart at some point sooner than later in one way or another.

At least Lane is somewhat likable, so his death would have more of the impact that the writers would be going for rather than a collective "Thank God I don't have to watch any more of her scenes" at Betty's death.

I totally disagree on Roger, he (as Rich so often alludes to), is the comedy of the show and it too integral in some of the other character's personalities and daily challenges.

Criminals in this town used to believe in things...honor, respect."I heard your dog is sick, so bought you this shovel"

Milch, Weiner and Gilligan (BB) talking about the state of TV. Milch has always been an amazing interview... so.... even if everyone said Luck ended up solid and showing tons of potential except the peeps that post here (it's alright with me, I'm far more interested in the Milch takes on Tolstoy project).

IMO: Peggy's gonna hate the new gig (prolly not till next season) and Draper's gonna be obsessed with getting her back. She'll stay heavily in the story line IMO. They'd be insane not to, she's an outstanding character and very well liked by the viewers. You could just tell during Draper's mannerisms during her resignation that he's not gonna let that dog die.

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns

swerb wrote:IMO: Peggy's gonna hate the new gig (prolly not till next season) and Draper's gonna be obsessed with getting her back. She'll stay heavily in the story line IMO. They'd be insane not to, she's an outstanding character and very well liked by the viewers. You could just tell during Draper's mannerisms during her resignation that he's not gonna let that dog die.

Just watched the episode again, and yeah you're absolutely right. Peggy's resignation scene was like a father losing his daughter; and vice versa (though Peggy did seem a bit perturbed finding out that Joan had become partner).

What if Peggy becomes another agency's "Don Draper" and thus becomes the real DD's bitter professional enemy? With a fairly successful marriage and the agency landing Jaguar, things have been going too good for DD lately. Making Peggy a real thorn in his side would really shake things up and give Weiner a great excuse to keep Peggy's character front and center.

jerryroche wrote:What if Peggy becomes another agency's "Don Draper" and thus becomes the real DD's bitter professional enemy? With a fairly successful marriage and the agency landing Jaguar, things have been going too good for DD lately. Making Peggy a real thorn in his side would really shake things up and give Weiner a great excuse to keep Peggy's character front and center.

I do think (and hope) that they will keep her front and center.

Very possible that they will have her character thrive at the new gig and have her evolve into the female professional rival to Draper.

I think they'll end the show with Draper and Peggy hooking up, or hooking up having it fail.

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns

I'm wondering if Don will get the sense that the place is falling apart, especially when Lane get's busted (soon). Will Don see it coming, will he realize they kind of run on smoke & mirrors (esp w/o Peggy), and look elsewhere in terms of his own career?

Criminals in this town used to believe in things...honor, respect."I heard your dog is sick, so bought you this shovel"

Good call by everyone on the suicide..Pretty epic episodes back-to-back(-to back?)Show's great. Nearly on par with The Sopranos; clearly the best on cable.Does Jaguar respond negatively to Sterling, Cooper, and Draper (what's the company's name gonna be now?), because of Lane's suicide? Just a thought I conjured up while watching the incredibly misleading "next week on MadMen."

Not a good month for Jared Harris. First he (as David Robert Jones) gets offed on "Fringe," then 30 days later he (as Lane Pryce) says good-bye forever to the gang at Sterling, Draper, Cooper. Now all he (as Professor Moriarity) can do is wait for another Robert Downey Jr. "Sherlock Holmes" sequel.

LakeErieWarriors wrote:Good call by everyone on the suicide..Pretty epic episodes back-to-back(-to back?)Show's great. Nearly on par with The Sopranos; clearly the best on cable.Does Jaguar respond negatively to Sterling, Cooper, and Draper (what's the company's name gonna be now?), because of Lane's suicide? Just a thought I conjured up while watching the incredibly misleading "next week on MadMen."

The only complaint anyone could ever have of this show is those previews for the upcoming episode. The most random and often pointless clips are used, it's like Weiner put the clips on a dart board and started throwing with his eyes closed.

Criminals in this town used to believe in things...honor, respect."I heard your dog is sick, so bought you this shovel"

jerryroche wrote:What if Peggy becomes another agency's "Don Draper" and thus becomes the real DD's bitter professional enemy? With a fairly successful marriage and the agency landing Jaguar, things have been going too good for DD lately. Making Peggy a real thorn in his side would really shake things up and give Weiner a great excuse to keep Peggy's character front and center.

I do think (and hope) that they will keep her front and center.

Very possible that they will have her character thrive at the new gig and have her evolve into the female professional rival to Draper.

I think they'll end the show with Draper and Peggy hooking up, or hooking up having it fail.

I don't think we'll see Peggy again this season. Weiner is probably working out scenarios now.

It will be interesting to see how Don handles Lane's suicide...given that in the first (or second?) season, Don's half-brother Adam hung himself after Don kicked him to the curb in a way not too dissimilar to his dismissal of Lane.

Given all of the ways you can commit suicide, I doubt it was a coincidence that Weiner chose hanging for Lane.

mitch wrote:It will be interesting to see how Don handles Lane's suicide...given that in the first (or second?) season, Don's half-brother Adam hung himself after Don kicked him to the curb in a way not too dissimilar to his dismissal of Lane.

Given all of the ways you can commit suicide, I doubt it was a coincidence that Weiner chose hanging for Lane.

You got that. You got the fact Don firing him led to it. And the look on Draper's face when he heard.

I think it's gonna be something that haunts him on some level for each of the last two seasons.

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns

Serious question - did Jaguar pay AMC/Mad Men for their role in this season? Guessing no as they're not always flattering towards the cars ... including it not starting when Lane tried to off himself in the car.

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns

LakeErieWarriors wrote:Don is ready to start bangin' some other broads. I think this last episode showed that he's really starting to get turned off by Megan..

Didn't see it that way at all. I base my take on the look on Don's face watching megan's screen test. It wasn't the look of a man who was frustrated and turned off. It was the look of a guy who adores his wife and is rethinking his relationship. Next thing you know she's cast.

The bar scene is a clifff hanger. I don't think Don strays. I think it was more of a statement that he's still DD, and he's still The Man to smokin' hot cosmopolitan manhattan women. Between that, the finncial success of SCDP, a friendly meeting of chance with Peggy, and the hallucination telling him he's rotton, I think Don grew this season. He didn't fall aprt; others around him did. He started the season in la la love land in a way that was somewhat superficial and ended it being more supportive and understanding. The tooth festering and being removed was a metaphor. This was a good season for ole DD / DW.

LakeErieWarriors wrote:Don is ready to start bangin' some other broads. I think this last episode showed that he's really starting to get turned off by Megan..

Didn't see it that way at all. I base my take on the look on Don's face watching megan's screen test. It wasn't the look of a man who was frustrated and turned off. It was the look of a guy who adores his wife and is rethinking his relationship. Next thing you know she's cast.

The bar scene is a clifff hanger. I don't think Don strays. I think it was more of a statement that he's still DD, and he's still The Man to smokin' hot cosmopolitan manhattan women. Between that, the finncial success of SCDP, a friendly meeting of chance with Peggy, and the hallucination telling him he's rotton, I think Don grew this season. He didn't fall aprt; others around him did. He started the season in la la love land in a way that was somewhat superficial and ended it being more supportive and understanding. The tooth festering and being removed was a metaphor. This was a good season for ole DD / DW.

I thought the screen test was more "Damn, she is good at this" and will lead to the proverbial if you love them let them go, if they come back....

For all of the success of the firm, he wasn't really behind any of it. And I think that eats at him more than anything else. Every major event, he had a ton of help. Megan at dinner. Joan getting diddled by Jag.

LakeErieWarriors wrote:Don is ready to start bangin' some other broads. I think this last episode showed that he's really starting to get turned off by Megan..

Didn't see it that way at all. I base my take on the look on Don's face watching megan's screen test. It wasn't the look of a man who was frustrated and turned off. It was the look of a guy who adores his wife and is rethinking his relationship. Next thing you know she's cast.

The bar scene is a clifff hanger. I don't think Don strays. I think it was more of a statement that he's still DD, and he's still The Man to smokin' hot cosmopolitan manhattan women. Between that, the finncial success of SCDP, a friendly meeting of chance with Peggy, and the hallucination telling him he's rotton, I think Don grew this season. He didn't fall aprt; others around him did. He started the season in la la love land in a way that was somewhat superficial and ended it being more supportive and understanding. The tooth festering and being removed was a metaphor. This was a good season for ole DD / DW.

I think he absolutely banged that broad at the bar. Not that he doesn't love his wife necessarily, but he's Don Draper and that's what he does.

How did Pete put it? A temporary bandage over a permanent wound. That's everything in Don's life. And always will be. And so he'll bang that chick.

I thought the season was outstanding. I agree 100% with JB's take on Don.

I think once the contract dispute ended and Weiner signed on for three final seasons, that he approached season five more as the first 12 of the last 36 episodes more than an individual season, not knowing how many more would be left. This was a total set up season for the final two.

Betty will be back in the mix, mostly in her role as Sally's mom as Sally approaches the drug and sex years in the late 60's. Pete is a mental case, they'll continue to focus on his need to be loved and have his ego stroked vs. his marriage to Trudy and the professional battles w Roger and Cosgrove. Roger will be Roger as they wind down his career. Same w Bert. The final episode last night confirmed what we all expected, Peggy will still feature prominently in the story line and she will likely end up with Don romantically at some point. Draper ... who knows. I think his marriage w Megan will erode. He can't stay with a woman like that and I think he knows she secretly blows as an actress. Tooth thing was a total metaphor and I do think his character grew this season. But he'll always be DD.

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns

LakeErieWarriors wrote:Don is ready to start bangin' some other broads. I think this last episode showed that he's really starting to get turned off by Megan..

Didn't see it that way at all. I base my take on the look on Don's face watching megan's screen test. It wasn't the look of a man who was frustrated and turned off. It was the look of a guy who adores his wife and is rethinking his relationship. Next thing you know she's cast.

The bar scene is a clifff hanger. I don't think Don strays. I think it was more of a statement that he's still DD, and he's still The Man to smokin' hot cosmopolitan manhattan women. Between that, the finncial success of SCDP, a friendly meeting of chance with Peggy, and the hallucination telling him he's rotton, I think Don grew this season. He didn't fall aprt; others around him did. He started the season in la la love land in a way that was somewhat superficial and ended it being more supportive and understanding. The tooth festering and being removed was a metaphor. This was a good season for ole DD / DW.

Yeah, he had that look of adoration watching Meghan, but you didn't see that look recede into a moment of realization that his wife is hopelessly sad? With the specters of Adam and Lane hanging over him, I think Don gave Meghan what she wanted to avoid being haunted by another phantom. We already saw from Joan that Don hates compromising personal ethics for business. He thinks Meghan doesn't want it THAT way, but really, she does. So he's soured on her.

All season long we've seen characters desperately reaching for something more that they can't have and I think the accumulation of that has Don defeated and willing to give in to temptation again. He may have gotten rid of the bad tooth, but the rot's still there.